Burglar Steals Des Moines Police Uniforms & Gun

Two questions: Why was the gun not locked in a safe, so that kids (or burglars) could not get at it? And how did he enter the house — did he break a window? Was a door left unlocked? You can’t completely burglar-proof any home, but you can get pretty close. Tough windows and doors, for one thing… but if there were an alarm system, the guy would have scampered away as soon as it went off.

Sgt. Lori Lavorato says officials are concerned the thief may try to impersonate a police officer. She’s warning residents to be wary of anyone wearing a police uniform without a badge or an officer’s utility belt.

The gun is bad enough, but now we have to be suspicious of any officer we interact with, thanks to a cop who couldn’t keep his house secure.

She says if anyone is suspicious, asked the officer for a Des Moines police photo ID or call the police department for verification.

Oh, you bet I will. Not to mention asking to see his badge and utility belt.

I guarantee that if every citizen who interacts with a cop this weekend demands to see his photo ID, badge, and belt, this will never happen again. All of this might seem like a small thing, but it isn’t. Because an officer allowed this to happen, a criminal now has a gun and several police uniforms.